Colleges are offering innovative financing plans, some risky, that allow families to pay college costs in a rational manner and in turn keep enrollment up. They include tuition futures plans, electronic funds transfer, gift certificates, credit card payments, megaloans, tuition stabilization plans, institutional loans, tuition matching, and…

In the emerging economy, access and control of information and technology will greatly determine individual and national economic accomplishments. Two primary purposes of public schools--transmitting cultural values and providing socially beneficial knowledge--explain the substantial contribution of public education to employment, earnings, and…